Chapter Twenty
Delaney slowly became aware of her
surroundings, blinking to clear her vision. The effort was useless.
It didn’t matter whether her eyes were open or shut, she could see
nothing but unremitting blackness. That and the absolute absence of
sound made her feel like she’d been dropped into a black void. She
shifted and added another item to her “oh shit” list. Her hands
were bound in front of her.
“Damn, damn, damn. Where
am I?” Her voice echoed. An echo meant she was in some sort of
large, enclosed space. She grabbed at the minute detail like it
would tether her to reality.
A surge of panic had her heart
pounding in her ears and a pain at the back of her head throbbed.
Something had happened, something bad, but she couldn’t remember
what.
Instead of giving in to the desire to
curl into a fetal position and cry, she pushed up and realized
she’d been lying on a dirt floor up against a wall also made of
dirt. Dirt she could deal with, but her wrists being bound? The
panic was growing to tidal wave proportions, making her shake so
hard it felt like her body would break apart.
Fighting the fear, she focused on
moving to sit all the way up. Once sitting up with her legs bent,
she rested her forehead on her knees, wincing as the movement made
the back of her head hurt even more. She swallowed convulsively
until she felt relatively sure she wouldn’t vomit.
God, she wished Walker were
here.
Strong, steady. The man who melted her
heart with that wicked grin, who made her feel safe. The man who’d
held her heart since high school. She’d never stopped loving him.
She might be mad at him, but she knew no matter what was between
them, he’d protect her.
Just imagining him there beside her
made her feel steadier. Had he been honest when he’d stated his
intention to stay in Sisters? If he did stay, could she trust him
enough to build a future with him? If a future together was even
something he even wanted. Whatever the possibilities, they would
only exist if she could find a way out of whatever pit she’d been
dumped into.
She lifted her head, making an effort
to stay in the here and now, as dismal as it was. She needed to
figure out where was she and how she’d gotten there.
Her head throbbed with the effort, but
she came up with zero memory of how she’d ended up in what appeared
to be a dank and dark dungeon. Rubbing a fist against her forehead
in concentration, she focused on the last thing she could
remember.
Cam had called to report a fire at the
mill. She’d woken her grandmother and remembered setting out for
the mill with a flashlight in her hand and seeing the orange glow
of fire from the direction of the mill. Her phone. She patted the
pockets of her coat and her joggers and nearly cried in
disappointment.
No phone, no flashlight, no
nothing.
She’d had her phone when she’d left
the house, she was sure of that.
Had she called or texted Walker? That
detail was lost with everything else.
She’d been hurrying toward the mill,
terrified everything they’d built could be destroyed if the fire
was bad, then the next thing she knew she was waking up in the dark
with a throbbing head.
Someone had knocked her unconscious,
tied her hands, and left her in a dark pit. She shook violently,
knowing she’d be vulnerable to whatever her abductor wanted to do
to her. Her teeth chattered and she felt the dampness in the dank
air seeping through her coat into her bones. She had to be in some
sort of underground space, maybe a cellar or a mine.
A faint sound, like the scraping of
metal against metal, snapped her to attention. The profound silence
made that slight sound as loud as a clanging bell. Her assailant
was returning.
They weren’t done with her and were
coming back. Fear galvanized her into action.
With her back pressed against the dirt
wall and using her elbows to maneuver, she shimmied and shifted
until she was on her feet. She paused, breathing deep, a wave of
dizziness causing her to press against the wall to steady herself.
She tugged on the rope binding her wrists. It wasn’t very snug, and
as she tugged the knots gave a bit, giving her hope she could get
them loose.
If she had time.
Another clink echoed through the
darkness. Using her elbow against the dirt wall to keep her
bearings, she moved farther into the tunnel away from the sound,
continuing to work the rope around her left wrist down over her
hand. She had narrow hands and might be able to push it
off.
She continued her stumbling pace with
no idea what direction she was going, instinct telling her whoever
was coming was not her friend.
The floor sloped down and she’d gone
only a few feet when she came across what felt like a vertical wood
beam set into the wall, extending up as far as she could
reach.
She had to be in an abandoned mine,
one of the hundreds dotting the Sierras.
Though she feared every step could
send her plummeting down a mineshaft, she kept moving, trying to
make as little noise as possible.
She sucked in a breath when a metallic
crunch echoed in the enclosed space. She’d stepped on what sounded
like an aluminum can. Another step had her stifling a startled yelp
when she sent what sounded like a bottle rolling across the dirt
floor. Over the thundering of her heart sounded the heavy tread of
footsteps, the glow of an approaching light coming from beyond a
bend in the tunnel.
A singsong voice cut through the
silence, carrying eerily through the darkness. “Oh, oh, what was
that? Has poor little Delaney woken up? I see you aren’t where I
left you. Did you think you could get away from me? Hunting you
down here will be fun.”
Oh god. She was in the middle of a
horror film. Her heart continued thundering in her ears and she
forced herself to keep moving.
A quick look over her shoulder showed
the growing glow of light bobbing as if someone was carrying a
flashlight. She looked desperately for an avenue of
escape.
She could barely make out rungs made
of bent rebar embedded into the opposite wall rising into the
darkness. That wouldn’t work with her hands bound.
A tunnel angled into the dark to the
left. She took a chance and darted in that direction. Moving as
fast as she dared, she scuttled along the wall. She tripped over
something heavy lying across the floor and stumbled to her knees.
Hands still bound, she struggled to her feet again, moving forward
only to slam against what felt like a metal grate.
The rope loosened and she moved her
hands over the barrier, her heart dropping when she realized it
extended across the mineshaft. She was trapped in a dead
end.
“There’s no way out, sweet
Delaney.” The light came nearer, then suddenly she was blinded by a
beam spearing into her eyes. “Ah, there you are. Now it’s time for
the fun to start.” The creepy voice sounded like someone cooing to
a baby.
She drew a deep breath to try to stop
shaking. She wouldn’t go down without a fight.
The light looked to come from a
lantern rather than the narrow beam of a flashlight and was held by
a dark figure whose shadow loomed large on the tunnel
wall.
“Ah, Delaney Bryant, mine,
all mine.” He held the lantern higher and she could make out the
bearded face of a man wearing a sheriff’s department uniform.
“Gotta say, you’re looking a little worse for wear, not your usual
sexy hot self. I liked that halter top you were wearing before. Got
some dirt on your clothes now. But that’s no worry, it won’t stop
me from fucking your brains out.”
She breathed through her mouth to keep
from vomiting. She was scared, bone-deep scared, but his words only
strengthened her resolve to fight. She pressed back against the
grate, trying to see past the light, her mind working furiously to
come up with a plan.
“Had to hit you kinda hard
to knock you out. Not that I’m sorry about that. As I always say,
you gotta do what you gotta do.
“I had to use rope to tie
your hands since I couldn’t find my handcuffs. It was a bitch
carrying you up here, though. Jesus, I’m tired. I had to leave my
car parked on the trail and hike back down. Couldn’t risk someone
spotting my car if I was driving around, right? But you’re not
light, you know?”
The man heaved a sigh, clearly
aggrieved. Did he actually think she should have sympathy for the
trouble he had kidnapping her? He began patting the pockets on his
coat and pulled out a long object. “Shit. I had a couple Slim Jim
Monster Sticks in my pocket. Must’ve lost one. Thought they were
appropriate ’cause I’ve got a monster stick, if you know what I
mean.” He laughed. “Must’ve dropped one somewhere.”
Revulsion brought another wave of
nausea. She peered at his shape, looking for any recognizable
features.
He peeled back plastic and took a
bite, speaking as he chewed. “Yeah, once I got that roofie in you,
you were a deadweight. I knocked you out with the butt of my gun,”
he patted his waist where she guessed he had a gun holstered. “Then
I dissolved that little pill in your mouth. Worked like a charm,
like it always does.”
He swallowed audibly and took another
bite. “I wouldn’t have minded doing you while you were out, but I
needed to bring up more supplies before they figure out you’re
missing and launch a search. I know how these things work. They’ll
find my car, but I’ve wiped it down to get rid of any fingerprints,
and since it’s registered under an alias, they won’t know dick
about who took you. I’m a ghost, you know.”
He laughed like the idea held appeal.
His shadow on the wall showed him shrugging off a backpack. He
unzipped a pocket and held up an object even as he bit off another
mouthful of the Slim Jim. She hoped he choked on it.
“See this? It’s asshole
McGrath’s beanie. Had to break into his cabin again to get it
without letting that little shit of a dog bite me. Thought I’d
killed him before, but I didn’t have time to do the job right
tonight. Another day. But the trouble will be worth it when I frame
McGrath for what I’ll do to you.
“But you want to know the
problem with framing him?” He waited, breathing heavily. “No idea?
Well, I’ll explain. I’ll have to use condoms. Don’t want any of my
DNA left behind, right? I figure I’ll keep you alive for a few days
and enjoy myself while they’re madly searching for you. But I’m too
smart for those assholes, and I’ve disguised the mine entrance so
you can hardly tell it’s there. Someone could walk right by and not
even see it. I’ve been squirreling away water and food for a while
now, so me and you’ll have a good time.”
His “explaining” sent another chill
skating down her spine. She glanced at the tunnel walls, wishing
they were wider so she’d have a chance of darting around
him.
He continued talking, seeming to want
her to appreciate his preparations. “But once I’m done with you,
this beanie will be found at the murder scene and they’ll go after
that fucker. It’ll have his hairs on it, then they’ll arrest him
for your assault and murder and he’ll be right back where he
belongs, behind bars. Who knows, maybe this time he’ll get the
death penalty.”
She vowed then and there that whatever
happened, she’d make sure the bastard talking to her left DNA
evidence behind. She’d cut him, scratch his eyes out if she had to,
but Walker wouldn’t go to jail for what this man was planning. She
tried to speak, but her mouth felt like dry cotton. She was
desperately thirsty.
Clearing her throat, she tried again,
her voice coming out in a croak. “Who are you?”
“Who am I?” He laughed
wildly. She suspected he was on some drug-induced high that had him
babbling. “Your wildest sex fantasy, that’s who I am.” He giggled
like he’d told a funny joke. “Been dreaming about this for years. I
think we’ll start with you putting your mouth around my cock and
sucking. Oh yeah, just talking about it gets me hard.”
Her stomach rolled and she swallowed
against the nausea that wouldn’t go away. Telling herself to show
no fear, she forced strength into her voice. “Since I don’t think
you’ve ever starred in any woman’s sex fantasy, ever, I still don’t
know who you are.” The only plan she’d come up with was to delay,
keep him talking, and do whatever necessary until she could figure
out how she was going to stay alive.
His voice hardened, losing the
singsong quality. “You’ll pay for that, and this time there aren’t
any assholes around to save you. I’ll give you a little hint
because I want you to know who’s the genius here. I pulled you over
one evening and god damn, was I looking forward to getting you on
your knees and getting the blowjob I deserve.
“And who ruined it? That
asshole McGrath with his asshole old man. I should’ve shot them
both dead and gotten to the business at hand. Can’t say the wait’s
been worth it, but fuck, I’m looking forward to this.”
Good humor apparently restored, he
hummed a little as he cast the light around the tunnel, his shadow
huge on the wall behind him. “My idea of bringing you here is
brilliant. Used to party up here when I was in high school. Bet
kids today don’t even know this place exists with their heads
buried in their damn phones the way they are. But in this mine like
we are, nobody’s gonna hear you screaming when I rape
you.
“I could keep your body up
here for years and no one’d know. But if I want Fucker McGrath to
hang, I’ll have to drop some clues. Neither him or his asshole
brother are smart enough to figure out what happened to you without
it being spelled out for them.” He moved to a niche in the wall.
“Let me just set this here and we’ll get down to it.”
When Jerod Fetterly turned to set down
the lantern, Delaney didn’t hesitate. With the rope now dangling
from one wrist, she swooped low and grabbed what she’d kicked in
the dark minutes before, a pickax left by some long-ago
miner.
Swinging for all she was worth, she
aimed for his head. He caught sight of her and reared back. Instead
of his head, the pointed end caught him in the throat. He staggered
back, knocking over the lantern and extinguishing the light. Not
waiting to see if she’d killed him but hoping she had, she let go
of the pickax and ran into the deep black of the mine.